Screenwriter Stuart Beattie has revealed that Hugh Jackman was the original actor considered for the part of Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean.

Beattie, who wrote the first film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, claimed that Disney was unsure about the choice of Jackman and felt he might not be a big enough star to carry the film.

"I initially wrote that character with Hugh Jackman in mind," he told Fox News.

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Beattie also reportedly named the character after Jackman himself despite Disney later deciding to offer the part to Johnny Depp.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the fourth film in the series, will be released in cinemas May 20, 2011.